Language Study and Internationalization
Brown’s internationalization initiative strives to make the institution a model for global higher education. These efforts build upon what is already an extensive international community of faculty, students and scholars from over 90 countries. A review of the curriculum identified over 400 courses with substantial international content. Faculty and researchers collaborate with colleagues around the globe, while over 500 undergraduates study abroad each academic year.
Our students and faculty understand that proficiency in another language provides the key to comprehending and appreciating other cultures and traditions. Studying another language and culture is at the heart of a liberal education. It gives perspective on one’s own assumptions and beliefs and offers a path to self-knowledge. As Goethe wrote: “Whoever does not know another language, knows nothing of his own.”
In a global society, advanced language proficiency is useful preparation for a wide range of professions and occupations. Brown language concentrators teach foreign languages in schools and universities, serve as translators and interpreters, work as foreign service officers in the State Department, and file reports as foreign correspondents. In addition they hold prominent positions in banking and finance, practice medicine and law, head non-profits and foundations, run cultural institutions and religious organizations, manage import-export firms and high-tech companies, serve in government and law enforcement, and much more.
Although not faced with language requirements for graduation, Brown University students enroll in language courses on a par with their counterparts at other Ivy League institutions. The curriculum includes courses in 29 modern and ancient languages, and students study dozens of others independently or while on study abroad. Countless activities with an international dimension occur on campus – guest lecturers from abroad, conferences on international issues, cultural events with global themes. A typical day recently featured a lecture on the mystical graffiti of Dakar, a symposium on African philosophy, a screening in the Guatemalan film series, and the Slavic Festival.
Brown is truly an outstanding place to study foreign languages and cultures!